Real Madrid were crowned champions of Europe for a record 15th time following their 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final at Wembley Stadium.

The first half saw Edin Terzic’s team put Los Blancos under pressure, but Madrid stayed strong thanks in part to the woodwork, goalie Thibaut Courtois, and some careless Dortmund finishing before the inevitable happened.

Dani Carvajal gave Madrid the lead with a clean header from Toni Kroos’ corner, and Vinicius Junior added another goal to put the game away as the Germans scrambled for an equaliser.

Madrid has a habit of winning the Champions League, and this year they have won every game in the competition for the first time ever.

With Joselu’s late brace in the semi-final, Carlo Ancelotti’s team gave Dortmund’s Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich a taste of their capacity to steal important results from thin air, and Carvajal was every bit the unexpected hero.

Having a fantastic season, the Spanish right-back had not scored in the Champions League since the 2015–16 campaign, but he made the breakthrough when it mattered most.

“In the first half we didn’t deserve to even be drawing, but we knew how to suffer, the post… but this is football and we are very happy,” said Carvajal.

Dortmund had taken the lead early on, with Niclas Fuellkrug pushing against the crossbar and Karim Adeyemi losing a fantastic opportunity when through on goal by taking the ball too wide.

Up until Carvajal’s header, Madrid’s attacking stars Vinicius, Rodrygo Goes, and Jude Bellingham—who was returning to England—had not produced much at the opposite end.

Bellingham presented an especially irritated image, eager to have an effect against his old team at home.

The sole threat to Madrid came from the feet of Toni Kroos, who was commanding the midfield for the team in his final game ever.

The German, who will give up football after Euro 2024, made Gregor Kobel save well early in the second half while stroking passes side to side in a performance that was characteristic of him.

Dortmund’s supporters created a significantly more intimidating environment with flags, pyrotechnics, and ferocious screaming, but Madrid’s supporters were outnumbered in London, if not inside Wembley.

“We’re back in town to steal the crown,” declared Dortmund fans on a banner, above a large canvas depicting the crown from Real Madrid’s badge emblazoned with the German side’s logo.

The European kings could never allow it to occur, of course.

They hadn’t lost a Champions League final until 1981, the year Terzic wasn’t even born.

With Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain slated to join the team for the upcoming season, Madrid has now won six of the last 11 tournaments and have a firm grip on the competition.

With his predecessor Zinedine Zidane presenting the shining trophy prior to the match, Ancelotti increased his own record of Champions League victories to five as a coach. This served as yet another reminder of Los Blancos’ supremacy in Europe.

“You never get used to it, because it was difficult, so difficult, more than what we expected,” admitted Ancelotti.

The day before the championship game, senior midfielder Luka Modric made it clear that Madrid will “fight until the end” no matter how bad the situation, and they succeeded in doing so once more to win their sixth La Liga and Champions League double.

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